Drinks
by secretsmiling
Summary: A series of oneshots covering 9Rose and 10Rose - focused on drinks.  Enjoy; please R and R if the mood takes you!
1. Tea

DRINKS

and came upon this prompt I'd written, linking Doctor Who to drinks. This is going to be a series of short one-shots. Here's hoping they're vaguely interesting!

Xena.

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><p>He is a sentinel, constantly watching over the world - the ever-vigilant angel who never rests or abandons his post, in the duty of guarding the universe. It is true, of course, that Time Lords need little sleep but there is a difference between a choice and a denied requirement.<p>

The Doctor never shuts his eyes unless he can help it; not for fear of missing an oncoming danger but for fear of a returning past, a reoccurring trend in his lingering night-time thoughts. He doesn't dare sleep because he is scared of what he might see returning out of the mists of time - the deafening final screams of his people, the harsh metallic shriek of the manufactured Dalek race, that desperate feeling of world-numbing guilt, horror and shock he felt in his last moments before his most recent regeneration. He feels he would understand survivor's guilt if he hadn't been the one to cause the genocide of the two warring sides - he still wonders bitterly why it was his responsibility, why he was the one forced to carry out this action.

It surprises him that he doesn't find it strange when Rose notices his little superstitious habit. _If I don't sleep, I won't see anything bad… _like a small bargaining child, trying to rationalise something they can't understand. He always knew deep down that they had some kind of connection - she understood without knowing the details, the ultimate embodiment of compassion. And love. It's odd to him how some little ape has suddenly become the centre of his life, the person he wants to keep safe and happy no matter what the cost. She sees him, careworn, restless, tired, and knows that something she perceives in his eyes is not longing for some far off world; it's the desperation for peace, free from fear. He never tells her but she naturally understands, like two pieces of the same puzzle. She just brings him tea – milk and two sugars. She remembers from all that time ago, when they'd only just started running.

After he finishes it, with her hand clasped in his, his head on her shoulder, Rose watches him relax; an act of friendship and love. His world finally fades away into comfortable oblivion.

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><p>Thanks :-)<p> 


	2. Coffee

DRINKS

Here's something that's hopefully a little less angst-y!

Xena.

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><p>Once he stepped inside the TARDIS, Rose knew instantly that Adam would never fit in. The Doctor was already rolling his eyes at him behind his back, as the new human stared around at the console room.<p>

The comfortable pattern they had formed, with the two of them hand in hand, exploring all of space and time, was clearly not something the timelord had wanted to mess with. He didn't want to share her, especially not with this handsome, albeit more than slightly arrogant, guy from her future. The rivalry had already begun and they hadn't even dematerialised yet! Still, she pretended not to notice, the teasing more fun, and shot the Doctor an almost innocent, questioning look.

"It's bigger on the inside…"

"Yep," the timelord said, quickly, not turning round to him. He flicked a few switches on a panel and dashed around to press some others, looking for all the world like a complicated dance. Adam looked all the more impressed. "It's alien and no - I won't tell you how it works,"

Ooh, no. The irritation in that voice could give you whiplash. This definitely wouldn't last if they couldn't get on.

"But…" Adam was stammering, weakly, obviously overwhelmed. "But…"

Obviously, his A-levels didn't make him more qualified for space travel – something that gave her an unfortunate sudden twinge of satisfaction and pride she instantly regretted. She tried to turn her mind to how she'd felt when she'd first arrived – "culture shock", the Doctor'd said. She had to be understanding.

"Rose, look after _pretty boy_, would you?"

"Come on,"

She took his shoulders and physically steered him out of the room and down a corridor, leaving the Doctor to his flight path and tinkering. Rose wasn't sure he'd recovered from that attack of rage and helplessness against that Dalek earlier – God, she wasn't sure she'd got over nearly dying. The look he'd given her when he'd seen she'd survived… it was… confusing. She pushed it out of her mind.

"D'you want a drink?"

"Got any coffee?"

Oh, no. _Coffee!_ He definitely wasn't going to last.

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><p>Thanks :-)<p> 


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